Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt 1836 ~ 1919

Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt

Born in Lexington, Kentucky, August 11,
1836. Her grandfather, Morgan Bryan, was a relative of Daniel
Boone and one of the earliest settlers in the state of Kentucky.
He emigrated from North Carolina with Boone's party and his
"station," near Lexington, known as "Bryan's Station," was one
of the principal points of attack by the Indians who invaded
Kentucky from the Northwest in 1782.

Mrs. Piatt's early childhood was passed
near Versailles, where her mother, Mary Speirs, who was related
to the Stocktons and other early Kentucky families, died when
Mrs. Piatt was but eight years of age. She was placed by her
father in the care of her aunt, Mrs. Boone, in Newcastle, where
she received her education.

George D. Prentice, the editor of the
Louisville Journal, was an intimate friend of the family, and
through his paper Mrs. Piatt's poems first received recognition.

On June 18, 1861, she became the wife of
John James Piatt, and went with her husband to reside in
Washington, D. C. In 1867 they removed to Ohio, and lived on a
part of the old estate of General W. H. Harrison, in North Bend.

In 1886 she published a volume of poems
in London, and others followed in the United States, among them
"The Nests at Washington, and Other Poems," "A
Woman's Poems," "A Voyage to the Fortunate Isles"
etc. Mrs. Piatt contributed too many of the leading magazines of
that time.

In 1882 Mr. Piatt was sent to Ireland as
consul of the United States at Cork, and while residing there
Mrs. Piatt brought out other volumes of poems, "In Primrose
Time," "A New Irish Garland," "An Irish
Wildflower." Her writings have been most complimentarily
mentioned in both England and Ireland.